CLAMS AND SUMMER, AN INSEPARABLE DUO.

When summer approaches, two things cannot be missed on an Italian table: spaghetti with fresh clams and a bottle of chilled dry wine
Usually, I love making fresh home-made pasta. However, sometimes stopping for a while, opening a bag of excellent durum wheat spaghetti, and making this simple and delicious pasta means it is summer – the holiday period for the most of Italians.
According to personal and regional preferences, there are a lot of variations in this dish: a pinch of chilli peppers, or 4-5 roughly chopped cherry tomatoes… This version is my favourite because nothing interferes with the taste of clams. To me, it is the symbol of Northern Adriatic – a small, enclosed sea and one of the richest for the production of seafood, particularly shellfish.

Spaghetti with fresh clams

1 lb. (400 gr.) spaghetti
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 lbs. fresh clums, purged*
6 teaspoons marine salt

*How to purge clams:Purging the clams is a simple but time-consuming process: first, pour fresh water in a bowl with a tablespoon salt, and lay a strainer in it. Move the clams in it, discarding the ones with cracked shells. Leave them sit for 20 minutes. Take the strainer off the bowl. You will find sand on the bottom of the bowl, discard the water and rinse the bowl, then pour more cold water in the bowl, a tablespoon salt and the strainer with the clams back in water. Repeat this operation four times more for a total amount of 2 hours.
Heat the clams in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat, covered with its lid, until clams pop open.
Check them one by one as you move them to a bowl, discarding the ones which did not open (it means that they were not fresh).
Filter half of the water produced by the clams pouring it through a white cotton napkin laid inside a fine mesh sieve. Since the quantity of water is a very limited one, also replacing the napkin with cheesecloth or a coffee filter is not a very lengthy process.
Rinse the skillet and heat oil in it.
Add sliced garlic and sauté until light brown, about 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley; stir 2 minutes. Add clams and their juice. Cover and simmer about a couple of minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Add pasta to clams and toss to coat. Usually there is no need to season to with salt, just add pepper.
Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and serve.

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH ARUGULA PESTO AND PRAWNS

The freshness of arugula is very inviting in the heat of the Italian summer. This is, of course, a variation of the famous “pesto” par excellence”. Arugula is a great source of flavonoids that are believed to have antioxidant properties. It’s also an excellent source of vitamin K, B and a very good source of iron, magnesium and vitamin A. Not only it shares the beneficial effects on the health of other cruciferous vegetables, but it is also a very rustic plant that does not need too much water, and it is ideal for the ones who have no too much time to dedicate to their garden.

The choice of potato gnocchi implies a lower quantity of calories due to the nutritional qualities of potato. I always prefer, if possible, to make potato gnocchi myself (see recipe).

The Latins considered this plant as a powerful aphrodisiac, probably because of its peppery flavor, typical above all of the wild variety.

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH ARUGULA PESTO AND PRAWNS

3,5 pounds fresh potato gnocchi
18 prawns

For pesto

1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup (2 oz./60 g) pine nuts ((it can be replaced by same quantity of walnut pieces))
3 cups (3 oz./90 g) arugula leaves coarsest chopped
½ cup (2 oz./60 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup (1 oz./30 g) freshly grated Pecorino cheese
½ cup (4 fl. Oz./125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt for seasoning

In a small food processor, combine the garlic and pine nuts or walnuts. Blend until it is a soft paste and then add arugula in small batches, and the olive oil, spoon by spoon. Blend each time until there is room to add a little more arugula and oil. Once all the arugula and oil is added, blend thoroughly until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cheeses, pulse to blend. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Transfer pesto to a serving bowl or platter.Cook gnocchi – in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, and add prawns 30 seconds before pasta is “al dente”.
Take ½ cup pasta cooking liquid, and add to pesto, stirring carefully. Transfer gnocchi and prawns in the bowl with pesto and stir vigorously. Serve immediately.

POTATO GNOCCHI, A GIFT FROM AMERICAS

Potato gnocchi recipe is relatively recent in the Italian tradition, compared to the other ones.

Gnocchi is spread in all regions of Italy, and with all possible ingredients, depending on where it comes from: flour, corn, semolina, bread, chestnut flour, ricotta, or vegetables – from squash to spinach to classic potato.

The potato was discovered by chance by the conquistadores of Spain, who rode over the tubers in pursuit of the Inca leader, Atahualpa, and his riches. They almost literally “stumbled upon” this precious tuber in the first decades of 15^th century.

The story of the conquest by the humble potato of the rest of the world was slow and full of misunderstandings, particularly in Italy. Imported from Spain, it appeared in botanical gardens of Padua and Verona as a scientific “curiosity” in 1591 and 1608. In 1565, King Philip II had gifted the Vatican court with some sample of tubers which were mistaken for truffles, and of course, used improperly. This episode and some other related to food poisoning (potatoes can develop toxicity in certain conditions), prevented a fast growth of its popularity.

While other countries realized the nutritious potential and resiliency in conditions often hostile to the cultivation of cereals, in Italy, the extensive cultivation of potatoes appeared only in the second half of the 19^th century. Probably the political divisions of Italy in so many small kingdoms prevented modern agricultural development.

POTATO GNOCCHI

2,5 pounds (1 kg) white, russet or other starchy potatoes, steamed and peeled
1 + 1/4 cups (300 gr.) “00” flour, plus more as needed
1 large egg

Push the potatoes (while still tepid/warm) through a food mill or potato ricer, onto a lightly floured work surface. In case the potatoes are too humid (moist) bake them for 5 minutes in the oven, before mashing them.
Gather the potatoes into a mound and make a well in the center. Sprinkle ¾ of the flour into the well and add in the egg. Mix the ingredients by hand until a soft dough forms. If necessary, add more flour, a little at a time, until the dough has a smooth, evenly moistened consistency.
Lightly flour your work surface and divide the dough into at least eight portions. Roll the portions into 1-inch-thick ropes and cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces. Roll the gnocchi over a fork to shape them, if desired.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and stir a few times with a wooden spoon to submerge and separate them. Cook at a gentle boil until the gnocchi are tender and just beginning to float, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the gnocchi and serve with the sauce.

Gnocchi must be eaten within 2 hours from their preparation or frozen on a paper tray covered by parchment lightly sprinkled with flour. They must be carefully separated so that they do not stick together. After 3-4 hours they can be put in a bag. NEVER THAW frozen pasta, just boil it as it is, just add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time.

GNUDI, TYPICAL TUSCAN RICOTTA AND SPINACH GNOCCHI

Gnudi is a typical Tuscan dish, simple and tasty, where the filling is served in the form of gnocchi but without the pasta wrap. The name comes from ‘gnudo’ meaning naked one, in the Tuscan vernacular. The dish comes from the southern Tuscan region of Maremma, one of Italy’s areas for sheep.

In Italy in Spring we have the best ricotta, it is the time of new-borns and fresh milk. Try this recipe, you won’t regret it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Yield: Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

20 oz. (700 gr.) raw spinach or 10 oz. block (350 gr.) frozen chopped spinach
1 medium egg
1 cup (250gr.) whole milk ricotta cheese
6,5 tbsp (50 gr.) 00 flour (plus more for dusting a sheet of kitchen paper and your hands while rolling)
1 pinch grated nutmeg
sea salt and black pepper, to season
1/3 cup (50 gr.) butter
5-6 sage leaves
2 tbsp (30 gr.) grated Parmesan

In advance: Using a strainer over a bowl, strain the ricotta overnight in the fridge to remove all the liquid.

TIP: Cover the strainer with plastic wrap to protect the cheese from absorbing scents in the fridge as it drains.

When you are ready to start making the gnudi, cook the raw spinach in a large pot of boiling salted water until just cooked through, about 1 minute. If using frozen spinach, let defrost, or microwave.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked spinach in small batches to a sieve. Use the sieve to squeeze ALL the water out of the spinach by pushing the spinach against the sieve. Cut the spinach.

In a frying pan, fry the garlic clove in the oil, discard the garlic and sauté the spinach in the flavored oil.

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse. You want to make sure the spinach is in tiny pieces and the mixture is thoroughly combined.

Dust your hands with a little flour so the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands.

Take 1 tablespoon of the spinach mixture and roll into balls about the size of a golf ball.

Place on a plate lined with waxed paper or parchment and sprinkled with flour, so the balls don’t stick.

In a small pot, melt the butter and carefully add the sage leaves.

TIP: It is important that the sage leaves do not fry.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the gnudi.

Add the gnudi to the water one at a time and cook for 3 minutes or until they rise to the surface. Using a wooden spoon, carefully make sure they aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot as they are cooking.

When they all float to the top, use a slotted spoon to remove the gnudi and place in your plate or bowl.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, pour the melted butter with sage over the top and serve.

You can replace a part of cow milk ricotta with a bit of sheep milk one, the taste will be really intriguing. In this case, be careful when seasoning with salt.